parent newsletter september 21st - dr. kevin m. hurley...

The Seekonk School Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

Parent Newsletter September 21, 2012

Visit our webpage at http://hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/ This newsletter will be sent out weekly via email to keep you informed of programs and events at Hurley Middle School. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at [email protected]

Dear Parents and Guardians, I would like to take a moment to thank all of you that attended our Open House on Tuesday, September 18th. I enjoyed the opportunity that I had to meet many parents and guardians. Whether you were able to attend that evening or not, remember that you can always contact your child’s teacher via email or telephone. The staff list on our website contains each teacher’s email address and direct phone extension for you to leave a voicemail message if you desire. During my opening presentation that evening, I stressed that in order to have a successful school, it is important to develop strong relationships with families. We encourage you to get involved. The first PTO meeting of the year will take place on Tuesday, September 25th at 7:00 pm. Once again, Mrs. Westcoat and I are always available to meet with you if you have any questions or concerns. Dr. Whalen

Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle SchoolDr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School 650 Newman Ave.650 Newman Ave.

Seekonk, MA. 02771Seekonk, MA. 02771 508508 -- 761761 -- 75707570

www.swww.s eekonk.k12.ma.useekonk.k12.ma.us

Dr. William V. Whalen III Mrs. Mary C. Westcoat Principal Assistant Principal


From the Principal’s Desk:

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, September 25th— • First PTO Meeting of the year at 7:00 pm • Soccer @ Bridgewater

Wednesday, September 26th—

• Late Bus Runs Begin and will continue every Monday and Wednesday for the rest of the year.

• First School Council Meeting at 4 pm Thursday, September 27th—

• Faculty Meeting by Department • Boys Soccer vs. Freetown Lakeville

Monday, October 1st—

• School Committee Meeting (Regular Session—7:00 pm at SHS) Friday, October 5th—

• First School Dance of the Year Featuring DJ Just Juli ! $5 per student. Tickets are not sold in advance. Students should pay at the door.

What do you think of our new logo?


Students in Physical Education are beginning the year participating in soccer and football units. Students will learn the history of the sport, rules of the game, positions and their roles, field layout, and skills and game concepts. We encourage active participation of all students and stress the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship! We will be going outside weather permitting so students should prepare to do so.

Physical Education Teachers

Ms. Bouchard & Mr. Smaldone

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Dodgeball Intramural beginning Oct. 1st – Nov. 19th (Mondays & Wednesdays).

First 35 students to return permission slip and concussion form to Mrs. Ferrara in the main office will be eligible to participate. Students also need an up to date physical on file with the school nurse.

-Any questions please contact Ms. Bouchard- 508- 761-7570 ext. 3103 or [email protected]


Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 2012

My name is Mrs. Kim DeLeo, the Computer Applications teacher at HMS. In June 2009, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. After more than a year of surgeries and chemotherapy, I AM A SURVIVOR! In October of 2009, we created the Hurley’s Heroes team to raise money and participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. We raised over $3,000 that year! Our three-year total is over $10,000! These funds help support research, as well as educate, diagnose, and treat breast cancer patients. Please join us this year for our 4th annual walk. The walk will take place in Roger Williams Park on Sunday, October 21, 2012. We will meet at the Coro Garage in Providence at 8 A.M. Participants must provide their own transportation to and from the parking garage and will take the provided shuttle to the park. After a team picture, we will start the walk together and meet at the finish line to take the shuttle back to the garage. Parents/Guardians, please note: This is NOT a school-sanctioned event. The staff members who are walking are not responsible for the supervision of any participants prior to, during, or after the event. In the past, many parents and family members joined our team and walked with their children and friends. This can be a very moving experience to share with your family, especially if you know someone who has suffered from this disease. You may sign up online at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Hurleys-Heroes. Your family and friends may make their donations online, or you can use the inside of the brochure, or print out a donation sheet from the site. Any cash or check donations you receive may be entered online, and you will then hand them in at the registration tent at the park’s Temple to Music on the morning of the walk. Friday, October 19th will be our 2nd Annual Pink Out Day where the whole school decks out in pink. I will be ordering pink shirts with our team logo for a cost of $15. If you are interested, you must return the permission slip with the appropriate size and quantity entered along with cash or check (made out to me) for each shirt by Friday, September 28th. ALL profits from the sales of these shirts are donated to MSABC on behalf of the Hurley’s Heroes team. Students are eligible for 5 hours of community service by participating. Join our team online today, then please sign and return the attached letter of acknowledgement/order form to me at HMS in Room 159. Thank you!!!


MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Hurley’s Heroes Team 2012

To: Hurley Middle School Date: __________________________ From: ___________________________________________________________ (Parent or Guardian’s name) Re: ____________________________________________________________ (Student’s name) I understand that the Hurley Middle School staff attending the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on October 21, 2012, at Roger Williams Park is NOT responsible for the supervision of my child before, during, or after this event. I understand this is not a school-sponsored event. I understand that this is an opportunity for interested community members, friends, and family to participate as a group in this event. I understand I am responsible for the transportation of my child to and from the meeting place for this event. I also understand that I am able to participate and walk with my child and the group to provide supervision and support. __________________________________________ ____________ Parent/Guardian’s Signature Date Phone number: _________________ Email address: ________________ ___ Yes, we will be walking but we are not interested in ordering a shirt. ___ Yes, we will be walking this year and would like to order a shirt(s). ___ We are unable to participate in the walk but would like to place an order. Please complete the order information below and include $15 cash or check (made out to me, Kim DeLeo) for each shirt ordered. (Shirts are adult unisex sizes.) Sizes (and Quantities): _______ Small _______ Medium ______ Large ______ XLarge ______ XXLarge _________ Total Amount Enclosed: _____

ORDERS DUE BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2012


News from Health Education 6th Grade: 6th Graders are currently talking about the importance of sleep. We have been reading and discussing:

what insomnia is sleeping disorders how chronic insomnia can impact your health what’s happening to our bodies when we sleep most importantly, how to get to sleep naturally if they are having a hard time falling

asleep at night. Students seem to really be enjoying this topic and have many exciting stories to tell. Memos will be going home next week requesting permission for your child to be in class when Puberty is being discussed. As I mentioned in Open House, you are welcome to come in and view the materials ahead of time before granting/not granting permission. Please call or send an e-‐mail to make an appointment. 7th Grade: 7th Graders are currently learning health skills that will benefit them throughout their lifetime including:

How to build a support system How to be physically, mentally/emotionally, and socially healthy Learning about different influences that effect decisions they make in life How to access reliable health information.

8th Grade: 8th Graders are currently finishing up learning about Communicable Diseases; different diseases, how the immune system protects us and how diseases can be spread. The next topic will be noncommunicable disease, those that are not spread. In the near future, students will receive a group project where they will teach the class about a disease/illness that can/cannot be spread. They will receive a project description and rubric for grading this project ahead of time. It will also be posted to edline.


September Blurb From the Library Welcome back! Sixth grade students came to the library this week for library orientation. They participated in a scavenger hunt consisting of a QR Code Hunt. They scanned each code with an iPad, which brought them to a web page that told them about different library areas and functions, such as the book return slot, fire drill location, etc. They seemed to really enjoy the activity while they learned about the library! Quick Read or QR codes are capable of storing much more information than a standard bar code. You have probably seen them on magazine ads, on product labels, even amusement park rides. They must be scanned with an app (free apps are available) on a smart phone or tablet, such as an iPad. If you want to try one out, here is a QR code for you to test:

Mrs. Jennifer St. Michel, MLIS Library Media Specialist

The Soccer season is underway. Both teams are doing well. Next Game, Tuesday the 25th @ Bridgewater. Good Luck!


ATTENTION HURLEY FAMILIES -‐

Drama Club is starting next week! Auditions for ALADDIN JR will take place Tuesday October 2nd and Thursday October 4th, 2:35 to 4:00! In order to audition, your child MUST complete a drama club contract and hand it in to Miss T / Mrs Handfield, or bring it with them to their audition. Forms will be handed out at lunch time (or come see one of the directors!) -‐-‐ No student will be allowed to audition without a completed contract and auditions are only taking place 10/2 and

10/4! No student will be admitted into the play without an audition.

Looking forward to a great Drama year and an awesome play in May! Thank you!

Miss T and Mrs. Handfield

From Mrs. Grande……. All 6th grade band students will need to purchase the second book this year. If you have not purchased the book yet, please send in $10 cash ($10.50 for percussion) in an envelope with your child's name, grade and instrument on it. All 7th grade band students will need to purchase Artistry of Fundamentals. If you have not purchased the book yet, please send in $8.00 cash in an envelope with your child's name, grade and instrument on it. 8th grade already has the Artistry of Fundamentals Jazz Band Auditions will be held after school on Monday September 24 and Wednesday September 26. Please remind you child of band days in their schedule in order to bring their instrument and book to class.


News from Academic Teams……….

7th Green Team –

On the Green Team, students are developing rules for integer operations and answering MCAS questions on the 2 Know Responders in Mrs. Costa's math class.

They also finished Geography Boot Camp in Mr. Sandstrom's Social Studies class and are currently embarking on a "journey" to Latin America. In Mrs. Reilly's Science class, students reviewed the scientific method using mysterious boxes and were

visited by Spongebob and Squidward in a lesson about dependent and independent variables. Finally, students are continuing to present their summer reading packets

in Dr. Shurtleff's ELA class.

7th Grade Blue Team –

The Blue Team is off to a great start! We are thrilled to be getting to know each other through team building and class activities. Science: Mrs. Metcalf's science class is learning about and practicing the Scientific Method. Students are working in groups and collecting data to determine the best way to balance a meter stick for the longest period of time. Math: To relate mathematical operations to real-world situations and communicate mathematical concepts in writing, Mrs. Geddes's math classes have been busy writing stories that illustrate the math in multi-step, "order of operations" problems. English: Mrs. Dumas's English classes have been reviewing the elements of fiction in preparation for analyzing literature. In addition, weekly spelling, grammar, and vocabulary are designed to enhance our writing. Social Studies: In social studies we are studying the continent of Asia and the surrounding Pacific region during the first quarter. We have begun our year focusing on the physical geography of East Asia. The students are identifying countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan as well as the physical features that make up that region. We are also examining the diverse climate types and how they influence people's lives in East Asia. In addition to examining the effects of climate, we are beginning to identify the major natural resources of that region and how the use of those resources can impact society and culture.


6th Grade Yellow Team Yellow team science students are exploring the skill of inquiry, experimentation, and design. Students have been given a seemingly impossible mission to fit themselves through an index card. After making both qualitative and quantitative observations and developing a plan of attack, students began the process of dissecting their index cards with the goal of being able to fit a body through the card. We have had many successes and a few near misses, and throughout this activity we have become familiar with the process of asking questions, making observations, writing a testable hypothesis, experimenting, collecting and analyzing data, and writing conclusions. These combined steps we know now as the scientific method. Students in Mrs. Johnson’s English classes arrived at school with great Summer Reading Journals! Thus far, students have completed several activities associated with their Summer Reading. A symbolism project included drawing and writing about a significant symbol from each novel they read. Next, students created advertisement posters for their novels by creatively illustrating the novel covers and effectively utilizing persuasive techniques. The ABC List project is the culminating assessment, as students use the novels to alphabetically list important people, places, and events. This week our school librarian, Mrs. St.Michel, has provided students with computer and library skills orientation. Mrs. St.Michel created an informative and fun QR scanning code hunt activity for the students. The students were very enthusiastic and learned about their new library at the same time. Thanks Mrs. St.Michel

Students who are interested in spelling team should attend the first meeting on Sept. 26 in Mrs. Miller's room, #161.

Builders Club

The year 2012-13 Builders Club will be starting on September 26, after school in Mrs. Farrow's (Art 185). This is an organization that does charitable works such as: Unicef, Collecting for local animal shelters, Pennies for Patients, etc. Any interested students may sign up in the cafeteria during lunch. Club Advisors: Mrs. Hilary Farrow, Miss Rebecca Cordeiro

Please contact Dr. Whalen or Mrs. Westcoat if you have any questions.

parent newsletter september 21st - dr. kevin m. hurley...

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